A busy holiday shopping day in Oshawa

Shoppers flock to Oshawa Centre as Christmas draws closer

DURHAM -- With less than three weeks until Christmas, the Oshawa Centre was bustling Saturday with earnest shoppers hoping to find that perfect gift to place under the tree.

Navigating through the mall was a challenge as thousands of gift-buying Christmas enthusiasts flocked to the shopping centre. Many stores were full to capacity as lineups snaked out of store front doors. Shoppers were scurrying through store aisles as they checked items off their lists while juggling bags of goodies.

For Mark and Lisa Charland, of Orono, the gift-buying process is a lengthy one but they make it as easy as possible by planning ahead, knowing everything they need to buy before they enter a busy shopping mall.

"We are doing pretty good but we have bought a few things for ourselves," chuckled Ms. Charland as she dug through a pile of pajamas at Old Navy.

With 20 people on their list to buy for, the couple admitted they had yet to meet the halfway mark, with only eight people checked off of their long list.

"But we know what we're getting, we always plan ahead," said Mr. Charland. "We always watch the flyers, we love the flyers."

The couple spent some of their morning picking out the perfect set of pajamas for six people on their list. Sticking with a family tradition, the Charlands always spend Christmas Eve opening and then wearing their new bedtime gear.

And while the Christmas madness continued and the hot, over-crowded shopping centre saw thousands of sales, Mary Sinclair of Oshawa was spotted taking a much-needed break as she lounged on a mall bench with a heap of shopping bags piled by her side.

"I should be here during the week," she said. "I just had to pick up a few extra things for the grandchildren."

Ms. Sinclair wasn't certain how many gifts she had to buy this year but took a deep breath when she began to count. With two kids of her own, four grandchildren, family and friends, her shopping list is lengthy.

And with every Christmas season that comes and goes, Ms. Sinclair believes her bank account shrinks more and more every year.

"It is expected," she said. "As the kids grow, so does the price of the gift."